Numbers 31:25–54

²⁵The Lord told Moses, ²⁶“You, the priest Eleazar, and the family heads of the community are to take a count of what was captured, people and animals. ²⁷Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to war and the entire community.^{k 28}Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every five hundred people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. ²⁹Take the tribute from their half and give it to the priest Eleazar as a contribution to the Lord. ³⁰From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of^A the Lord’s tabernacle.”

³¹So Moses and the priest Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses. ³²The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:

675,000 sheep and goats,

³³72,000 cattle,

³⁴61,000 donkeys,

³⁵and 32,000 people, all the females who had not gone to bed with a man.

³⁶The half portion for those who went out to war numbered:

337,500 sheep and goats,

³⁷and the tribute to the Lord was 675

from the sheep and goats;

³⁸from the 36,000 cattle,

the tribute to the Lord was 72;

³⁹from the 30,500 donkeys,

the tribute to the Lord was 61;

⁴⁰and from the 16,000 people,

the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.

⁴¹Moses gave the tribute to the priest Eleazar as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴²From the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from the men who fought, ⁴³the community’s half was:

337,500 sheep and goats,

⁴⁴36,000 cattle,

⁴⁵30,500 donkeys,

⁴⁶and 16,000 people.

⁴⁷Moses took one out of every fifty, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites’ half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.

⁴⁸The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses ⁴⁹and told him, “Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing. ⁵⁰So we have presented to the Lord an offering of the gold articles each man found—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”^a

⁵¹Moses and the priest Eleazar received from them all the articles made out of gold. ⁵²All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.^{A 53}Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.^{b 54}Moses and the priest Eleazar received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.